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Principal and Associates

We are constantly evaluating and using the most credible science by linking with thought leaders and innovative professional networks. We are proud members of the Society for Consulting Psychology, a worldwide organization composed of leading consultants with the highest levels of training in people-related science.

Company Principal: Dr. Thomas Brunner

Dr. Tom Brunner is Principal/Founder of Performance Edge Solutions (PES), a private consulting firm and leader in recognizing that the way to gain the most sustainable performance edge in business is to use superior behavioral science tools to select, develop, and retain exceptional people who elevate your business culture and secure your future.

Tom has been consulted by regional organizations including Carondelet Health Network, the State of Arizona Board of Nursing, and Tucson Electric Power (TEP), as well as by national organizations including the Discovery Channel and the Department of Homeland Security. Tom also regularly consults for numerous local healthcare providers since he is also a thought leader in this market sector. As an expert in human behavior, he is the senior author of a psychological tool that is now being adapted into seven languages worldwide. He has been awarded several research grants in the area of personality assessment, including from the Society of Personality Assessment.

Tom was recently interviewed by well-regarded corporate consultant Dr. Zara Larsen, as part of the nationally syndicated live FM radio talk show “Circles of Change: Conversations on Change Leadership and Career Fulfillment”.

His diverse set of projects include the following: career counseling for professionals, fitness for duty evaluations for larger scale companies, facilitating the application of advanced tools to select corporate leaders, and succession planning. His passion is for choosing the most advanced and relevant behavioral science tools/techniques to pinpoint the hidden factors driving the problem and defining the solution. His background of analyzing even complex problems has translated into a comprehensive yet concise approach producing durable solutions.

Tom distinguishes himself from mainstream consultants through his deeply scientific approach that is based on a proprietary method utilizing data-based approaches versus trendy or “off the shelf” approaches that are oversold. He uses his expertise in behavioral science to surgically identify the key patterns that underlie the heart of the problem and solution. Part of his mission is to elevate the quality of consulting by participating in the movement toward using credible best practices.

He has had extensive P&L and Budget responsibilities by successfully operating his own professional practice and research laboratory. Tom is currently the President of the Carondelet Owners Association Board of Directors (established in the 1970’s) comprising 21 owners of a commercial healthcare complex. He is a licensed PhD psychologist and is a member of the American Psychological Association’s Division of Consulting Psychology. Tom is humbled by the fact that in 2010, he was awarded the Arizona Psychological Foundation’s Early Career Psychologist Award.

Tom is a frequent guest speaker at local businesses as well as being a regular guest lecturer at the University of Arizona’s University Medical Center. Tom, his wife Maria, and their two young children live in Tucson, Arizona. Tom is an avid cyclist and hiker. Tom’s wife is a well-known local veterinarian. Tom and Maria enjoy regularly “giving back” to the community through pro bono and volunteer activities.

Associates

Dr. Eric Nelson

Dr. Eric Nelson has consulted to individuals, organizations, and the legal system for over 20 years. Recognizing the power of behavioral science to enhance personal and organizational effectiveness, Dr. Nelson remains constantly committed to identifying and implementing cutting-edge strategies for assessment and intervention.

Eric concurs with Performance Edge Solutions’ Founder Dr. Tom Brunner that it is people who drive success in the increasingly competitive global marketplace. As an International Consultant for Hogan Assessment Systems, Eric implemented highly respected measures of personality predictors of workplace success with corporate clients throughout North America and Europe.

Such scientifically sound assesment and evaluation form the cornerstone of Dr. Nelson’s current consulting activities. For example, what alternatives might this mid-career professional pursue if she is dissatisfied with her current position? Where in the organization might this high-potential employee be the most effective? Which leaders or individual contributors might best be considered as part of a company’s succession plan? How might each of these external applicants for a high-level position fit within the company’s organizational culture? Valid, scientifically based answers to these question will produce more satisfied, more engaged employees—key variables in productivity and organizational effectiveness.

For individuals struggling in their current position, assessment can also pinpoint sources of potential derailment and suggest directions for effective coaching toward enhanced performance. Eric offers considerable experience in helping both individual contributors and organizational leaders become more effective in their interpersonal and managerial skills, communication styles, task orientation, and time management. Keenly aware of the multiple factors contributing to successful leadership—and scientifically sound strategies for effecting change—Eric assists managers and executives identify “blind spots” and engage their own capacity for more effective performance.

Derived from career experiences ranging from individual interventions for teenagers and adults to coaching leaders at the highest levels of organizations, Eric can identify and implement the most useful, scientifically sound tools for resolving personal and organizational problems.

Dr. Nelson has been a licensed psychologist for over two decades and, like the Principal Dr. Tom Brunner, is a member of the American Psychological Association’s Division of Consulting Psychology. He is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Tulsa, has served on the editorial boards of several professional journals, consults to attorneys and the courts regarding issues related to behavioral science, and has been a frequent speaker on ethics and other professional issues. Based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Eric enjoys travel, hiking near his mountain cabin in Colorado, skiing, and frequent “game nights” with family and friends.

Josh White

Josh brings broad and deep skill sets related to cost saving technology acquisition, streamlining, website design and optimization, and IT management. His portfolio includes work with national (e.g., Brake Masters, Dex) and local companies (e.g., Perimeter Bicycling). Unlike many technology experts, Josh brings a refreshingly competent yet user-friendly style to every project; he focuses on making sure clients feel technologies are cost-effective, clearly understood, easily mastered, and quickly usable. Moreover, he is unique in his ability to bring the client into technological discussions so they feel part of the decision-making process.

Practical examples may include:

Utilizing electronic faxing solutions to replace legacy print and faxing technology across a corporate enterprise resulting in over a quarter of a million in savings annually.

Using secure, cloud based solutions such as Box.net toallow a local custom homebuilder to communicate between architects, clients and his team securely and quickly. This also allows mobile interaction in the field.

Josh brings nearly 10 years of enterprise scale corporate project management, employee management, operations and quality management skills to every project. He was an award winning team lead in a former Fortune 500 company. Josh’s diverse background from consulting to IT management and finally to operations management of over 50 million in revenue has helped him develop a unique “top to bottom” consulting style that ensures the processes at every step of the ladder are optimally user-friendly.

Because of a background in enterprise scale Sales Automation deployment and training, Josh’s primary concern is that technological solutions must not only provide a clear return on investment with high yield but must make the life of the end-user easier. Rather than being mesmerized by the newest technology trend, Josh’s vigilant concern is with the return on the investment long term. When called to develop a company wide technology strategy, Josh remains focused on designing solutions with minimal footprints that work within existing management system workflows rather than introducing unnecessarily disruptive changes.